


The Last Time I Saw You

by FlufferNutterButter



Series: Changing Day-to-Day [2]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: AU, Humanstuck, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-18
Updated: 2013-05-18
Packaged: 2017-12-12 04:26:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/807216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlufferNutterButter/pseuds/FlufferNutterButter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Twelve teenagers huddled in the particularly cold night of March. They all had different stories, different reasons as to why they were there. School would get out in a little more than a month; they were all seniors, ready for lives of their own, separate from each other. But before that, they got together for a final night of solidarity.</p><p>This was the night that brought them closer together.</p><p>This was the night that tore them farther apart.</p><p>And then, Porrim wanted to have a reunion.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Last Time I Saw You

**Author's Note:**

> Formatting is confusing. I will get back to that later.
> 
> I love writing Pre-Scratch trolls.
> 
> It should be noted that Meulin's deafness, Kurloz's muteness, and Mituna's handicap are all preexisting conditions. No events mentioned in this story caused these conditions.

_“Stop where you are!”_

_“We’re going to need personal statements from each of you.”_

_“What do you think they were doing?”_

_“Hell if I know. Kids these days, am I right?”_

_“You kids’re lucky we’re not gonna take you down to the station.”_

_“You don’t need to be so harsh on them. They’re just kids!”_

_“I beg to differ. Says here that seven of them are eighteen, and another is legally emancipated from their guardian.”_

_“Damn. They_ are _lucky we don’t take them down to the station_.”

_As the officers spoke, twelve teenagers huddled in the particularly cold night of March. They all had different stories, different reasons as to why they were there. School would get out in a little more than a month; they were all seniors, ready for lives of their own, separate from each other._

_But before that, they got together for a final night of solidarity. This night included: drag racing, accidental arson, skinny dipping, the imbibing of multiple forms of alcohol, hot make-outs, the kidnapping of the student body president, one impromptu love-making session in the back of a car, drug dealing, sexual experimentation, a nervous breakdown, breaking and entering, and a nearly serious concussion, none of which would ever be able to be proved by the cops._

_This was the night that brought them closer together._

_This was the night that tore them farther apart._

_~~~_

Porrim Maryam had been thinking about a reunion for years. Ever since the first anniversary had passed, she had this desire to reunite everyone, for old time’s sake.

However, when she had broached the idea to her peers separately, she was met with varying levels of success. After a few months, she stopped trying.

The next year passed in a flurry of business and activity, and the second anniversary passed without her knowledge. With the third anniversary rapidly approaching, though, she was determined not to let this opportunity pass by.

She, after much deliberation, contacted Kankri.

Porrim and Kankri had always been oddly close. Even after the incident, they never completely drifted apart, though their communications were limited to curt emails and brief visits. Still, the civil companionship they shared was enough for her to feel comfortable in calling him out of the blue.

This phone call took place nearly two weeks before the anniversary date, more than a week before the email itself was sent out. Kankri picked up on the second ring.

“Kankri speaking.”

“How are you, dear Kankri?”

“Ah.” There was a slight cough heard from the other end. “Porrim. I am well. And yourself?”

“I’m doing fine, Kankri. Listen, I know this is fairly short notice, but are you aware of the date and significance that is occurring in about two weeks?”

Kankri didn’t miss a beat. “It would be the third anniversary of the night our group decided to jeopardize our futures for the sake of companionship.”

“That’s certainly one way to put it. But Kankri, I need you to do something for me.”

“I will try my best. What is it?”

Porrim explained her whole plan quickly. When she was done, Kankri deliberated.

“Why is it necessary for me to do it?”

“Because,” Porrim elaborated, “I’ve tried, and nobody will listen to me.”

“I don’t see why they would listen to me, instead.”

“Because you’re right.”

There was a pause. “What?”

“You’re right, Kankri. As much as some of our companions are fairly loathe to admit it, you’re right, no matter what you say. Everyone knows that. Even though I know you feel like everyone ignores you, they don’t. In fact, they take into consideration everything you say. It’s just your incessant lectures that dull them.”

Kankri hummed on the other end of the line.

“I want to see them again. Don’t you?” Porrim admitted.

“Yes. Yes, I do.”

~~~

Kankri Vantas deliberated for days about what to say in the email, writing and editing and re-writing until he thought he had the right balance of opinions. It was fairly stressful, Porrim dumping all of this on him, but he admitted that it was for the best. There were certain tensions that should probably be put to rest, anyway.

He certainly wouldn’t mind seeing everyone again.

When he was happy with what the message said, he hit “send”.

~~~

Damara Megido was the first to receive the email, having just happened to open her account right after Kankri sent it. She didn’t even have to think about her choice. Of course she would go.

After that specific night, she hadn’t exactly parted on the best of terms with her acquaintances. Damara smiled and shook her head as she remembered how harsh she used to be. As a new student from a foreign country, she had trouble fitting in, especially since she didn’t have a good grasp on the language. She immediately had latched onto Rufioh, seeing as they had similar interests in anime, and guarded herself against any other interlopers, particularly interlopers with attitudes as rough as her own. Yes, she had overreacted when her relationship with Rufioh ended that night. Yes, she had held a grudge against nearly everyone throughout that last month of high school.

But Damara Megido had mellowed. Years of separation made her a calmer, less crass person. She wasn’t the same anymore, not by a long shot. Certainly, she hadn’t really amounted to much compared to others. Of the dozen, she was one of the few who didn’t go to college. But she made a life for herself, had a decent job, and was really well-to-do. She was eager to see everyone again.

A box of cigarettes lay open on her dresser, only about half empty, even though she’d bought it a few weeks before. She brushed it into a drawer and went out to go to work.

Yes, she was eager to show everyone how much she had changed.

~~~

 “I’m home!” Meenah called out to nobody, slamming the door of her well-furnished, penthouse apartment. She tossed her bag to the side carelessly before taking a flying leap and landing on the plush fuchsia sofa. She grasped blindly for the remote to her rather large, high-definition television and flipped through random channels, letting the sound blare loudly through her high-quality speakers.

Her place was nice. Really nice.

It was old money. Meenah Peixes came from a well-endowed family. She had enough money in her own personal banking account to be able to live this comfortably all her life and never, ever work. She certainly didn’t plan to. She was spoiled, irresponsible, crass, and…

Lonely.

Meenah Peixes, a twenty-one year old in her junior year of college, had bought the largest apartment in the whole city, and had not invited a single person to share it with her. She’d say it was because she didn’t want to share, but in reality, she had no friends. Not really. No friends outside of bitches who wanted her money and talked shit behind her back. She may have been lonely, but she wasn’t desperate.

After all, Meenah knew what it was like to have real friends, friends who cared about her as a person and not as a bank. She had friends like those in high school. But those relationships came crashing down one fateful night in March, nearly three years before.

Meenah frowned. She didn’t like thinking that way. She flipped off of the couch and stalked to her room, suddenly in a very sour mood. She plopped down gracelessly in the swivel chair by her desk and started up her state-of-the-art computer, surfing the web through multiple blogs and news sites that she paid attention to. Her sour mood soon practically forgotten, seeing as she was distracted for one reason or another, she moved to shut down the laptop before remembering that she hadn’t checked her emails for the day.

The inbox of Meenah Peixes was always overcrowded, day by day, with many emails from shops and sites she subscribed to. She didn’t usually care what they had to say; she had no reason to look for sales. She clicked through all of the unread messages, selecting them to be deleted, and she almost deleted the most important one.

Meenah’s eyes widened as she took in the sender and subject line. She quickly clicked open the message.

**To: Meenah Peixes (2x3dentgill@condesce.net) and 10 others**

**From: Kankri Vantas (vantas.kan@umail.com)**

**Subject: Three Years Ag9 This Weekend**

**Message:**

**Ass9ciates,**

**As y9u are n9 d9u6t aware, this weekend marks the three year anniversary of our unf9rtunate enc9unter at the end 9f 9ur seni9r year. While I d9 n9t wish t9 trigger any9ne 6y 6ringing up these events and the potentially negative effects that they have had 9n s9me 9f us, it has 6een 6r9ught t9 my attenti9n that a “reuni9n” 9f s9rts may 6e in 9rder. I have taken the time t9 9rganize all 9f y9ur schedules in acc9rdance with y9ur current sch99ls 9r places 9f 6usiness, and I d9 n9t 6elieve that anyone is 6usy at the time c99rdinating with the anniversary. I have selected a l9cati9n that I 6elieve is within reas9na6le traveling distance f9r everyone. The inf9rmation necessary is in the attachment.**

**I h9pe y9u are all a6le to attend.**

**Kankri**

**Attachment: Anniversary details.doc**

Meenah curled her lip, a grimace taking over her face. He looked through their schedules? She rolled her eyes. What a creep.

She sat forward, typing a quick reply.

**To: Kankri Vantas (vantas.kan@umail.com) and 10 others**

**From: Meenah Peixes (2x3dentgill@condesce.net)**

**Subject: RE: Three Years Ag9 This Weekend**

**Message:**

**maryam put u up to this, didnt she**

She sat back and waited, and was rewarded for her patience. A reply was not long in coming.

**To: Meenah Peixes (2x3dentgill@condesce.net)**

**From: Porrim Maryam (virgostyle@dessinix.com)**

**Subject: Watch what yo+u click**

**Message:**

**Yes, I admit that I did have a hand in the o+rchestratio+n of this anniversary, but I wo+uld advise that yo+u no+t po+st yo+ur reply for all to+ see. If yo+u have an accusation+n, take it up with me perso+nally, and do+n’t click reply all.**

Meenah sneered, slamming her laptop closed and standing up in a huff. Who did that pretentious fashion designer think she was? She quickly transitioned from her chair to her bed to grab a pillow and scream into the down feathers.

She didn’t want to go. She didn’t want those memories to come back up.

But she was free over the weekend.

~~~

Horuss Zahhak arrived in his dorm at six in the afternoon following his weight lifting course. He had practice with the intramural football team on campus later that night, and was looking forward to a few hours to himself before heading out. As part of the school’s league of high-ranking geniuses, he always had work to do, but this day was one of those rare occasions when he was free for a whole afternoon. He planned on changing and going to the student lounge, but he remembered that he had a new email; he hadn’t been able to check during class.

He sat down at his desk and opened his computer. In his head, he ran over all of the possible senders of the email, but none of them were what he ended up seeing when he logged onto his account. He never expected to receive emails from either Kankri or Meenah, even when they were a group in high school.

Horuss frowned as he read over the email. He was one of the lucky ones, he knew; his life wasn’t really changed by the events of the night. But the others were. Like Meulin, for example, Horuss’s long-time best friend.

Or Damara, the ex-girlfriend of Horuss’s ex-boyfriend.

Or Mituna.

Of course, those who weren’t seriously affected were still affected. Aranea had changed after that. The student-body president wasn’t nearly as self-assured in the last few months of school. Horuss experienced his first heartbreak. One way or another, everyone felt the impact.

Would Horuss attend?

He seriously thought it over. Perhaps it would be good to see everyone again. He hadn’t seen Meulin face-to-face in a long time, though the two did exchange emails every few days. Speaking of which, Horuss wondered what Meulin thought. He pulled up a new message box and wrote her a quick email, then glanced at the clock on his computer.

Horuss bit his lip to keep from swearing. Reminiscing about the past had taken up a great deal of time. He wouldn’t have time to visit the lounge now.

~~~

Meulin Leijon volunteered most of her afternoons at the local veterinary hospital, and she loved every minute of it.

Sure, the work couldn’t be glorified. She took the animals outside for restroom breaks and cleaned the cages, and it was really layman’s work, but she got to take care of all of the cute animals, and that was enough for her.

Meulin arrived home in need of a shower. There had been a new patient at the vet today, a rather playful German Shepherd. Though she usually preferred felines, this dog was just so playful and cute, she had to stay late and play around with him. But now she was hot and felt gross, and quickly stripped and jumped into the steaming water of her shower.

She emerged a few minutes later and got dressed, pulling on shorts and a tank top, and sat on her bed, opening up her laptop to get on Bubblr for a few minutes.

But wait. She had an email.

Or three.

The first one was from Horuss, which wasn’t unusual. But the other two were from people she never thought she’d hear from again.

Curious, and a little bit nervous, she clicked on the two emails first.

Then, she read Horuss’s email.

**To: Meulin Leijon (kittykatmeu@umail.com)**

**From: Horuss Zahhak (horseuss@umail.com)**

**Subject: 8=| Have you seen this?**

**Message:**

**8=D Meulin, I inquire as to whether or not you have considered the implications of the emails sent to us by our mutual acquaintances, Kankri and Meenah. I would like to know whether or not you plan to attend this reunion.**

**To: Horuss Zahhak (horseuss@umail.com)**

**From: Meulin Leijon (kittykatmeu@umail.com)**

**Subject: RE: 8=| Have you seen this?**

**Message:**

**(=^•^=) OF COURSE I’M GOING TO GO! IT WOULD BE PURROSITIVELY PURRECIOUS TO S33 EFURRYONE AGAIN!**

Meulin hit “send” and rolled backwards, staring up at the ceiling. At first thought, she believed it to be a good idea. She could see everyone again!

But then, she visibly paled. Did she want to see everyone again? Things had happened that night, things that nobody had really talked about since. There were a few people-okay, one person-that she felt she should talk to, if only to clear the air, but it had been so long ago, so long since they’d exchanged communications. Would it be worth it to dredge up those long-ago events?

Meulin’s memory drifted, and she felt herself blush deeply. Her hands pressed against the junction of her hips and legs, curling in the fabric of her shorts. She hunched over, sliding her hands down her legs to wrap around her knees as one memory led to another, and tears pricked her eyes. Before she knew it, she was crying.

She wiped furiously at her eyes, patting her face to try and snap herself out of this unhappy feeling. She couldn’t be crying at a time like this! She already said she would go, so what?

Just grin and bear it, that’s what she’d do. She didn’t have to talk to anyone she didn’t want to.

Did she want to?

~~~

It was late night when Aranea Serket returned from dinner. She and some friends had had a study group at the local diner, and Aranea was pleased with how much everyone had gotten done. Since attending the prestigious university that was at the top of her list, she had become quite the social butterfly among her intellectual peers. Surrounded by people like her, responsible people who never got into trouble, made Aranea feel comfortable.

Comfortable, but not entirely content.

Sometimes, she wondered if her peers had ever had a night like she had that cold March. Had they ever felt the way she had? Had they ever needed to charm their way out of certain arrest? Had they ever broken multiple laws within a few hours and not cared about the consequences?

Thinking about the sweater-wearing, tea sipping, straight-laced crowd she hung out with, she guessed not.

Aranea quickly changed her clothes into pajamas and settled down under the thick comforter on her bed, placing her glasses on the side table. Usually, she only used this blanket for the cold months, but March was unseasonably cold this year. It hadn’t been this cold so late since…

Three years ago.

Aranea chewed on her lip. She’d been trying not to think about the incident near the anniversary. If she let herself think too hard about it, old emotions tended to come to the surface.

She turned over, snuggling further under the covers, and closed her eyes.

Sleep would not come.

Of course, that was less due to insomnia and more due to the incessant buzzing noise her phone made against the table. Aranea sighed, rolling over and groping around on the table until her hand found her phone. Figuring it was just one of her friends, she answered without checking the caller ID.

“Hello?” she said groggily.

“Yo.”

Aranea sat up quickly, reaching to turn on the light. “Meenah?!” A blush rose across her face, and she didn’t know why.

“Ouch, girl, keep it down. Some of us’re tryin’ to sleep.”

“You called me,” Aranea asserted.

“Yeah, whatever. Look, are you goin’?”

“’Going…? To what?”

“Check your email!”

Aranea grabbed her glasses off of the table and looked around for her computer. She saw it on the desk and crawled across her mattress, reaching for it and pulling it onto her lap. She booted it up.

“What am I looking for?”

“Trust me,” Meenah said, and Aranea could almost see her grimace, “You’ll know.”

Aranea always had her email up, so the first thing she saw after she logged in was the new messages. With a confused quirk of her eyebrows, she read over the text.

“A…reunion? Is that a good idea?”

“I’m askin’ you, gill. Are you going?”

Aranea thought it over. Yes, she had plans this weekend, plans with her plain-vanilla friends who never do anything adventurous.

“Why not? I don’t have plans this weekend.” The half-lie was out before she could stop it, but she wasn’t sure if she really regretted it.

“Whoa, reely?”

“Yes, _reely_ ,” Aranea giggled, “Aren’t you?”

“Wuh-well,” Meenah sputtered, “ _Duh!_ I just wanted to make sure you were.”

Aranea tried not to read too much into that statement, and her blush flared anew. “O-Okay.”

“Whale, that’s all I really had to say…” Meenah trailed off. “Guess I’ll sea ya in a few days…?”

“Alright. It was nice talking to you. It’s been a while.” Aranea bit her lip.

“We’ll catch up at the reunion, gill. Gonna be totes fun.” The phone clicked off before Aranea could say goodbye.

She read over the email a few more times before crawling back under the covers, removing her glasses and turning off the light. She held her phone away from her face and just looked at the name under caller ID for past calls, though she had a hard time making it out, and ended up falling asleep with her phone beside her.

~~~

“See you later then, eh?”

“Yeah, yeah!” Cronus waved, sending his friend off. “This weekend, man, we’re totally gonna party.” He shut the door to his house with his foot and settled in the chair by his TV, pulling his computer from the side table to his lap. He hadn’t been home for days; he hoped he hadn’t missed anything important. As he logged on, he took another sip of the beer that he had brought from his friend’s.

His inbox held only two unread messages. Cronus did a spit take when he saw who they were from.

He clicked the one from Meenah first, reading over the one line.

_Maryam? What did Porrim do?_

He then saw that Meenah’s message was in reply to Kankri’s message, and opened the latter. His eyes scanned the block of text. Cronus visibly deflated upon mention of that fateful night; he leaned back and took a long swig of his beer, eyebrows knit in sudden exhaustion. He finished the message and his mouse hovered over the attachment, but he didn’t click it. First, he wanted some input. He whipped out his phone and sent a text.

**are you believwin this?**

**i’m sea-in it, boat i’m not believing**

**did maryam put him up to it**

**you hit reply all**

**yes i know buoy shut up**

**she said she “had a hand in it”**

**aka completely manipulated him**

**what do you think?**

**aboat maryam? other than bein a conniving beach**

**are you goin**

Cronus waited a long time for a reply.

**i got no plans not to**

**i dunno**

Cronus thought hard before sending a reply of his own.

**i’ll go if you go**

**not tryin to hit on me are you because we’re not in high school but nothing has changed**

**i’m bein serious**

Cronus didn’t receive a reply after that. He sighed, putting his phone away  and rising to his feet, deciding to get dinner. Dinner turned to drinking turned to partying, and Cronus Ampora staggered back into his house at two in the morning, stripped down, and collapsed on the bed. As soon as his body hit the mattress, though, his phone buzzed. Groaning, he pushed himself up and reached around until the piece of plastic and metal was in his hands. He brought it close to his face, squinting through the painful light to read the message. His eyes widened involuntarily, an action he instantly regretted, and he flung his phone to the other side of the room, deciding sleepily to read it again when he was more sober.

**i’ll go**

~~~

Mituna Captor rolled over and smacked his alarm clock, pushing himself up onto his hands. Light sifted through the blinds covering his window, and a few beams of sunlight managed to catch his gaze through the curtain of hair that covered his eyes. He winced and flopped back on the bed, but sat up quickly when his brain realized that another sound had accompanied the slap of hand on plastic. He looked to the floor, reaching down and grabbing the picture frame there, replacing it on his desk, relieved that the picture was not damaged.

He looked at the picture for a while. It was a picture from that cold night in March, three years ago, before everything had gone downhill. Everything was tinted orange from the sunset. On the far left, Damara stood straight, puffing a cigarette held between her fingers, but Mituna could see the smallest smile on her lips. Next to her was Rufioh, who had his elbow propped on her shoulder. His head was thrown backwards, his mouth open in a silent laugh. In front of him were Meulin and Kurloz, the former sitting in the latter’s lap. Kurloz had his arms wrapped around his then-girlfriend, and she was beaming while he had a tiny grin, his head resting on hers. Horuss stood in the back of the group, looking imposing and official as always, but he was smiling happily. Porrim and Kankri were in the middle of the picture, neither looking at the camera. Instead, it looked like Kankri was saying something to Porrim. Then there was Mituna himself and Latula, with their arms thrown around each other, laughing. And at the far right was Meenah, who had a reluctant-looking Aranea in a sort of headlock.

This picture had taken place right after they sort-of kidnapped Aranea, dragging her along on their adventure. Meulin had wanted a photograph, and Mituna had grabbed her camera and run up to a complete stranger, requesting that he be the photographer.

Mituna wondered if he was the only one who’d kept his copy of the photograph. During his hospitalization following the night, it remained by his bedside, a reminder that, even if his friends weren’t with him, they were always there.

But now was not the time to get lost in thought. Mituna had to go to his private tutor in a few hours; though he didn’t have class today, because of his convoluted schedule, he did have a tutor who helped him stay in pace with the rest of the class, and also helped him with his speech impediments. Mituna had been going to the speech therapist for more than two years now.

While he went about his room, getting ready for the day, he opened up his computer to check his mail. To his complete surprise, he had two new emails.

When he read them, a huge smile broke across his face. These two years of tutoring may be about to pay off.

~~~

Kurloz Makara sat at the desk of the body art parlor where he worked. It was ten in the morning, and he didn’t even know why they opened this early. Nobody came in until at least five in the afternoon.

But this was his shift, and at least, while he was here, he could use the company computer. Kurloz had one at his house, and internet, too, but the internet in this run-down building was surprisingly far better than that at his home.

It was helpful when his friends decided to message him. This hadn’t happened yet, not today, but it was about to.

Kurloz was checking his email. He had two; one for work and one personal. His work was always full of emails from multiple different people; supply shops, returning customers, potential customers, banks, and the like. But his personal was full of emails from one person. The same person, every time.

That was how he was able to spot the two new messages so quickly; One message was from Meenah Peixes, one from Kankri Vantas, but both were surrounded by messages from Mituna Captor.

Kurloz and Mituna had been best friends through some of elementary school, all of middle, all of high school, and onwards, Kurloz now working on his own, and Mituna now in college. Of all of the people who had to do with that incident, Mituna was one of the only two to see him after graduation, and the only one to regularly keep up with him. Kurloz and Mituna emailed constantly.

His latest email, judging from the subject line, had to do with the messages from Meenah and Kankri.

He opened those two first, scanned the contents, and then opened Mituna’s email.

**To: Kurloz Makara (kjuggalo@umail.com)**

**From: Mituna Captor (psiich3@umail.com)**

**Subject: D1D Y0U 533 17**

**Message:**

**D1D Y0U 533 7H3 M3554G3 FR0M K4NKR1?**

**4R3 Y0U G01NG?!**

**1 W4NT 70 G0.**

Kurloz was about to type a reply when a notification at the bottom of the screen told him that Mituna couldn’t wait for him to reply. With Kurloz’s acceptance, the chat window opened. A screen showed him Mituna was in his dorm room, grinning at the computer.

“Kurloz! Are you going?”

Kurloz typed into the text box.

**I DON’T KNOW**

Mituna frowned at the screen. “Why not?”

Kurloz just shook his head. Mituna changed the subject.

“Do you think Latula will be theres? I hope she is-s.” His grin spread even wider. “I’d bet Meulin’s gonna will be there, too.”

Kurloz’s face fell, and Mituna knew he’d crossed a line. He never understood why the two stopped talking. All he knew was that something had happened that fateful night. Something had happened between them.

Kurloz shrugged his shoulders.

**i don’t know if it would be a good idea**

**MOST OF THOSE** **FUCKERS** **PROBABLY BLAME ME FOR SOME OF THE STUFF THAT HAPPENED**

**:o(**

“No they d-don’th!” Mituna insisted. “Pleathe, go. I don’t wannta do it alone.”

Kurloz’s eyes flickered up to his inbox, reading through the subject line of every Mituna email on the first page. He knew Mituna’s plans. He would feel bad if he left Mituna out in the cold on what may be the most important night of his life. He shrugged again.

**maybe**

Mituna’s face lit up. He jumped up from his desk and shouted; “Yes!” He started dancing around his room, and Kurloz waited patiently, finger pressed to his own lips, for his friend to calm down and remember the signals. Mituna did remember, eventually, and slapped a hand over his mouth.

“Sorry.”

Kurloz waved it off and typed a quick message about having other work to attend to. He said goodbye and logged out of his email. He then pushed one foot against the desk and sent himself sliding across the room. He stopped with a thud on the other side, but didn’t care. He was already lost in thought.

Would Meulin be there? He hadn’t communicated with her in three years. Mituna certainly knew what to say to get a reaction out of Kurloz; just because he hadn’t communicated with her, that didn’t mean he didn’t want to. But what happened that night had changed things between them. They could never pretend it didn’t happen.

Often, he thought about her, about them, together. They had dated throughout most of high school, but it went much deeper than that. Their relationship changed. Had she felt the same way? In three years, Kurloz hadn’t had another girlfriend. He hadn’t wanted one. He didn’t know about Meulin.

He thought about it, a lot. Maybe he would go, if only to get closure.

~~~

Rufioh Nitram was incredibly grateful that his shift at the auto shop was late, because night school was really taking its toll on him. He slept in until one in the afternoon, only waking up when a text from a coworker raised the dead.

Rufioh immediately sat up at alert when he checked the text, because he could see a second notification on his screen signaling new emails. He shifted onto his back and held the phone above his face, reading through the messages.

A reunion? Why not? Rufioh smiled. Unlike some of the twelve, Rufioh was still pretty much friends with everyone. He enjoyed their company. He occasionally reached out to some of them, and regardless of whether or not he got a reply, he didn’t feel bad. Generally and always, Rufioh Nitram was a pretty easy-going guy.

He opened up the dialing window of his phone and typed in a familiar number. The phone rang once.

“Hello.”

“Hey, Damz, you check your email recently?”

“I have.”

“What do you think? You gonna go? I could give you a ride.”

“I go.”

“Good. It’ll be nice to see everyone again. I wonder how they’re all doing? I’ll betcha some people have really changed.”

“Yes.”

“What are you most looking forward to, doll?”

Damara hummed. “Seeing the changes.”

Rufioh laughed, “Yeah, of course. So hey, do you want me to give you a ride? I know you have a car of your own, but we could catch up on the ride.”

“Yes. I give you address.”

“Ok, great.” Rufioh grabbed a pencil and paper from the bedside table and scribbled down the address. She lived in the next city over; he never realized she was so close. It would be an hour’s drive to get her, and then two more to the reunion location.

“Sounds good then, doll! I’ll see you then.”

“Okay. Goodbye.”

The phone clicked off. Rufioh sat back on the bed, daydreaming.

A reunion, huh?

~~~

Latula Pyrope was a busy girl. As a busy girl, she couldn’t be bothered to check her email too often.

Of all of the recipients of the email, she was the last to read it.

“What the…” she muttered, catching the attention of her roommate.

“What’s up, girl? Everything cool?”

“Mmm… Yeah, totally.” Latula sounded distracted. Her roommate just shrugged and exited. As soon as she was gone, Latula flipped over on her bed and began to write a reply.

She was curious about the origin of this idea, but she was way too rad to beat around the bush. Kankri was the sender, and Porrim was the accused manipulator. She would take this one straight to the source.

**To: Kankri Vantas (vantas.kan@umail.com), Porrim Maryam (virgostyle@dessinix.com)**

**From: Latula Pyrope (r4dg1rlsk4t3r@umail.com)**

**Subject: r3un1on wh4t?**

**Message:**

**yo guys, wh3r3’d th1s com3 from? wh4t’s go1ng on?**

**1 m34n, 1t’s tot4lly r4d for you to th1nk of 3v3ryon3 l1k3 th1s, but som3 of us w4nt3d to l34v3 4ll of th4t b3h1nd.**

Latula sent the email, and a chat window popped up a few minutes later. She accepted the invitation.

**I understand if y9u d9n’t want t9 g9, Latula.**

**no, m4n, 1’d lov3 to! 1 just don’t w4nt you guys 3xp3ct1ng 4 whol3 bunch of p3opl3 to show, b3c4us3 1 don’t know 1f th3y w1ll.**

**That is the purp9se 9f this reuni9n. N969dy has t9 attend if they find the idea triggering.**

**Besides, mo+re peo+ple are interested than yo+u might think.**

Latula quirked her mouth to the side. She hadn’t realized this chat was public.

**you’r3 sur3?**

**The o+ther purpo+se o+f the o+pen-ended invitatio+n is that no+bo+dy feels o+bligated to+ respo+nd immediately.**

**They will all have time to+ think abo+ut it.**

**Will y9u 6e attending then, Latula?**

Latula thought it over. She’d been a little put off at the idea at first, but this quick conversation already set her thinking differently.

**y34h, prob4bly.**

**Excellent. I will see y9u there.**

Latula signed off and sat back, thinking. Porrim sounded fairly confident that more people would be attending than initially thought. She wondered how the fashionista could know this. It was probably just her motherly-like instincts.

A glance to her dresser brought another character to mind. Mituna.

He and Latula had been good friends for most of their lives, and dated their junior and senior years of high school. He was never quite right in the head, but he was endearing, and Latula adored him. Their relationship was full of fun games and enthusiastic cuddles, not to mention some more physical endeavors. But that night in March, three years ago…

Latula curled in on herself subconsciously. That night, she had failed him. Though she knew fully well that Mituna had a harder time navigating than anyone else, she left him on his own in the back roads of town. In her absence, Mituna got himself injured.

Latula had never been as scared as she had been that night, finding him unconscious on the road, blood seeping out of a wound on his head. Even though the wound turned out to be practically nothing physically, she never let it go that she indirectly caused it.

And then he was hospitalized.

It was a miracle that their entire night hadn’t been blown to pieces by the cops because of that, because his wound turned out to be more serious than they had thought. Though it wasn’t large, he had hit his head fairly hard, and spent many of the next few months either in the hospital, at home, or at numerous doctors.

She was truly surprised when he showed up to walk at graduation.

He was fine, he had reassured her of that over and over, but his newly muddled speech was proof enough that she failed him.

She’d been running from this particular demon. She ignored him after that, even though it broke her heart every time. She could never bring herself to throw out his picture, even though it was a constant reminder.

Latula broke her train of thought by looking away from the photograph and turning her attention back to the matter at hand. A reunion did sound interesting, if anything. She wondered how much everyone had changed.

She wondered how much everyone had stayed the same.

~~~

The Alpha Lounge was a new, fairly expensive establishment on the west side of town. Having the connections she did, Porrim Maryam was able to rent the lounge for a whole night. Since the place had just opened, there weren’t many people vying for its patronage. Porrim supposed this was for the best; after all, she didn’t reserve it until late the previous week.

There was a co-ownership between the four patrons of the lounge. Porrim had met one of them over the phone, a cheery sounding young woman by the name of Jane Crocker. Jane and Roxy, another owner, met her at the door when she walked in on Saturday morning, dressed in dress slacks and a blazer over a jade blouse that fell across her chest in the same manner that her trademark dress did.

“Hello!” Jane smiled. “You must be Porrim Maryam. We spoke over the phone. This is my colleague, Roxy Lalonde,” Roxy gave Porrim a wave, “And we’re here to help if you need it. You didn’t specify over the phone, what sort of meeting is this?”

“A small reunion,” Porrim said, “With hopefully a dozen guests.”

“Excellent!” Jane beamed.

“Now,” Porrim began, “I understand that this is short notice, but I didn’t set up with another caterer. I read on your website that you can cater from here, and I am willing to pay recompense.”

“That won’t be a problem. What sort of food?”

“A variety of selections in a buffet style, if you would. I don’t suppose any of the guests would be terribly picky.”

They continued to organize in this manner until about noon, when Kankri arrived, his old sweater still gracing his person. He helped them, as well; the rest of the guests wouldn’t likely arrive until later in the afternoon.

Jane rushed into the lounge after setting up some things in the kitchen.

“I’m terribly sorry, things are running a little bit behind schedule. I hope you don’t mind if some things aren’t set up by the time the guests arrive.”

“There’s no need to worry,” Porrim shrugged, “Besides, the guests won’t be arriving for a while yet.”

“Actually, Porrim-” Kankri began.

“About that…” Jane blushed nervously.

“Hello Porrim, Kankri.”

Horuss Zahhak stood in the doorway, dressed in a dark button-down and black jeans. His old goggles were replaced by circular sunglasses.

“Horuss,” Porrim smiled, moving to give her old companion a friendly embrace. The large man smiled and returned the gesture.

“I suppose the time got away from me. Yes, it is five already, isn’t it?”

“You were busy putting together this wonderful arrangement,” Horuss assured her.

“Yes, well, I hope that you’re not the only one who will be here to appreciate it. Would you like to sit?” She led him to a chair.

“Don’t worry,” Horuss said as he walked, “I know Meulin will be in attendance, though I believe she told me she would be in on a later bus, and get in closer to eight. If I am remembering correctly, she’s taking Bus Four once she enters the city.”

“I see.” Porrim said, making mental note of that. She knew where the bus station was. She raised a thoughtful hand to her chin. “Have you heard from anyone else?”

“I did have a brief exchange with Aranea, who said she will be here as well, but I don’t know when.”

Porrim smiled. She knew this reunion would pick up steam. That was already almost half of their group.

~~~

Or, exactly half, as a short while later, they were alerted to another guest by the tapping of knuckles on the wall. Porrim had been helping Jane organize some of the completed food dishes, so Kankri went to greet him.

“Kurloz, you look like you’re doing well.”

Kurloz smiled and gave Kankri a thumbs-up. Porrim turned from her place at the table to take in the new guest’s appearance.

Some people never change, she realized, since Kurloz still had his skeleton-themed face paint and zipper hoodie. He nodded and waved to her before immediately walking over to one of the sofas in the lounge and sitting down. Porrim smiled. It was nice to see someone get so comfortable so quickly.

But Kurloz’s comfort seemed to come at the cost of someone else’s. Horuss visibly stiffened upon his acquaintance’s arrival. She walked over to his chair and placed a hand on his arm.

“Horuss, is-”

“Hey, guys!” Rufioh Nitram burst through the doors with a flourish, Damara Megido trailing behind. He wore a leather jacket over a black T-shirt and cargo pants, while Damara continued with her heritage in the Oriental garments she wore, this one being a scarlet, short-sleeved dress that reached her ankles.

Horuss sighed, resting his head in his hands. Porrim gave him an understanding pat on the shoulder.

Mingling at this point in the reunion was low, Rufioh realized. There was some sort of bad blood between the only other two guests who weren’t hosting. Horuss kept glaring daggers at Kurloz, who was either completely oblivious or just really trying hard to not meet his eyes. Rufioh watched the one-way not-exchange curiously. He wanted to go over and ask, but his own relationship with Horuss wasn’t exactly great, nor was his with Kurloz.

Of course, as he stood there deliberating, he heard a small cough from behind him.

“Excuse me, Rufioh,” Aranea said, tapping him on the shoulder. Rufioh grinned, suavely stepping aside to let the blue-clad girl pass. The skirt of her blue sleeveless dress swished. A black cardigan graced her shoulders.

“Anything for you, doll.” He decided he should probably follow her, seeing as he and Damara were blocking the door.

Or, he was. Damara was already across the room, inspecting the layout of food that was already on the table. When had she gotten all of the way over there?

Damara straightened herself after leaning over to examine some of the food dishes, walking over to Porrim and Kankri. She smiled.

“Porrim. Kankri. This is lovely gathering. Thank you for invitation.”

Porrim had a difficult time hiding the shock on her face, though Kankri, through years of dealing with social justice, knew how to keep himself calm. They were both thinking the same thing, though.

When had the crass, harsh Damara they knew in high school turn into this polite woman?

Damara’s grin widened as she took in their startled expressions. Yes, coming here was a good idea.

Rufioh and Aranea joined them and suddenly, Kurloz was alone on one side of the room.

This was awkward.

By no means was Kurloz a socialite. In fact, he did used to lurk back in high school. But this was different.

Kurloz stood and walked over to the table, grabbing some food before heading back to his space on the sofa. He remained remarkably inconspicuous, and nobody noticed him. He didn’t care all that much. He had nothing to say to them.

Literally.

The proximity, or lack thereof, was still a bit of an issue to him, though. But he wasn’t about to walk into the disaster that was Horuss Zahhak; Kurloz had a feeling he could tell what Horuss seemed to hate him for, and he did not want that coming to light.

So, if lurking on the edge and not communicating was what it would take to avoid Horuss, he would deal with that.

But he didn’t have to, not for long.

“Kurloz!” Mituna shrieked, rushing from the door to the sofa and plopping down right next to his best friend. He wore a white button-down under a yellow and black hoodie. He sat up straight, a small “oh” passing his lips before he jumped up and hurried over to the food table.

“Hey, Porrim! Rad party. Thanks for the invite.” He gathered some food on his plate and rushed back over to the sofa. He leaned his head closer to Kurloz and started to talk. Kurloz smiled at every non-meddled word that Mituna said. When he did start to let his mouth get ahead of his mind, Kurloz would shoosh him, and he would smile and start anew.

This reunion was filling up more quickly than Porrim had initially thought it would.

~~~

It was about another hour before the next guest arrived; Meenah Peixes, wearing a midriff-bearing fuchsia top and black cargo pants, burst through the door with a sort of loud flourish that only she was capable of.

“Hey, guys!” she said, a huge grin splitting her face. She made a beeline for Aranea, swinging one arm around her shoulders. To the bemusement of all who noticed, Aranea blushed.

“The party can start, because I,” she pulled Aranea closer, “Have arrived.”

Aranea looked like she was about to explode.

Porrim walked over and placed a gentle, but firm, hand on Meenah’s shoulder, assertively forcing her to back away from Aranea, who quickly turned to face a corner of the room, one hand going to her mouth as she tried to quell her embarrassment.

Meenah pouted. “Maryam, why you always gotta be a buzzkill?”

Porrim rolled her eyes. “I assure you, everyone else here is thanking me.” She looked behind her for affirmation. Meenah huffed.

“Yeah, whatever.” Meenah knew that she had no backup with that group, so she went back over to Aranea, oblivious to her recovering state of embarrassment.

“You don’t think that, do you, Serket? I know I can count on you.”

Aranea coughed. “Well, while I may not be in complete agreement with Porrim, I do think,” she removed Meenah’s arms from around her neck, “You could tone it down a little.”

Meenah stalked off to a corner, sulking. Aranea sighed and approached her.

“Come on, Meenah, I don’t mean it.”

Meenah grinned, knowing she’d just drawn Aranea back in. “Yeah, I know, Serk. You’re cool.”

“Well, that’s touching.”

The group still by the table nearly jumped out of their skins.

“Cronus!” Porrim breathed, taking in the sight of the boy in a leather jacket and white T-shirt. This night was full of surprises. First, Damara wasn’t a bitch, and then Cronus was _not_ making an absolute spectacle of himself?

“Whoa, guys, chill. It’s just me.”

“Yeah, well usually you’re not ‘just you’,” Rufioh said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Porrim would have loved to be privy to the conversation that was bound to turn into a spectacle anyway, but her phone buzzed. She realized that she had missed a message earlier, as well.

**h3y g1rl, 1 th1nk 1 m1ght g3t lost on th3 w4y to th3 m33t1ng spot. m1nd p1ck1ng m3 up? 1’m g3tt1ng 1n 4t th3 tr41n st4t1on 4t 8.**

Porrim looked at the time. If she wanted to meet Latula, she would need to leave as soon as possible. She excused herself from the group.

“I know it’s in bad taste for the hostess to abandon her party, but Latula has requested that I escort her from the train station. I hope you all don’t mind.”

A chorus of “not at all” and “of course not” met her request. She left.

Kurloz noticed Mituna pale upon hearing this, and his hands gripped the fabric of the sofa. Kurloz patted him on the shoulder. He held up his phone when he had Mituna’s attention.

**IT’S GONNA WORK OUT**

**practice what you’re gonna say**

Mituna gulped and nodded.

~~~

At the other end of the room, there was a small showdown going on.

“I don’t know where you even got the alcohol, Meenah.” Kankri looked rather put out at the bottle being waved in front of his face. “Not all of us can drink.”

“Who’s the buzzkill now, huh?” she taunted. “B’sides, I’m legal now. Gettin’ the stuff’s not a problem. And I’m in tight with one of the chicks who runs the place. She won’t squeal on us for having a few under-agers.”

“I will not be partaking in this venture, and I would advise that nobody else do, either.”

“The only ones here other than you who _can’t_ drink are Mitz over there and Aranea. Nobody’s listenin’ to you.”

“Well,” Kankri sighed, “At the very least, leave me out of it.”

“Come _on_ , Kanny! Loosen up! Live a little!” Meenah waved the bottle closer to his face. His lip curled a little, and he continued to protest, but now Rufioh was in on it, too, and Kankri was feeling a little intimidated. Kankri took notice to a change in body language as somebody stepped in front of him. The bottle was out if his sight.

“You know, guys, maybe you should stop hounding him.” Cronus said.

His statement was met with an army of incredulous looks.

“What? Is it really so hard to believe that I’ve grown up in the past few years?”

The “Yes” was unanimous. Cronus scoffed.

“Well, I have! And I think you should lay off Kankri. It’s his decision.”

Kankri regarded Cronus with wide eyes. “Wow, Cronus. I’m… impressed.”

Cronus waved him off. “Yeah, yeah, save it,” he said bitterly.

“No, really. That’s impressive, Cronus. You completely turned yourself around.”

Cronus twisted his mouth to the side, heat rising in his face.

“It’s really nothing, chief. Don’t mention it.”

Kankri nodded, but continued to watch Cronus.

~~~

For Rufioh, the scene changed then. His attention directed elsewhere, he walked over to Horuss, who had barely said a word all afternoon.

“You going to talk about what’s going on, or are you going to just stare at him all night?” Rufioh asked in regards to Kurloz. Horuss snapped back to attention.

“It’s none of your business.”

“You can’t be that mad at him just because he broke up with Meulin.”

Horuss gives Rufioh a surprised, slightly nervous look, and Rufioh throws back his head and sighs, long and low. “It’s obvious, man. She’s your common thread. I bet you didn’t even know his name before he asked her out.” He leveled his eyes at Horuss. “But you can’t be mad at him for that. People change, Horuss. People grow far apart. Relationships do, too.”

“You’d know all about that, wouldn’t you?”

Rufioh let out a hiss, his teeth clenched. Were they really going to do this now?

“You put too much investment in us, Horuss. I never planned on us being a thing.”

“It would have been nice to know that first,” Horuss sighed. “I’m starting to think that this was a bad idea.”

“Look, man, I…” Rufioh closed his eyes. “I didn’t come here to fight, okay? I understand we’ve got some bad blood between us, but…”

Horuss nodded. “I understand.”

~~~

It was raining. Hard.

Meulin hopped off of the bus and quickly took cover under the small covered area of the stop. Bus Four would stop out here, in the suburban area, and then take her into the city. It was only about fifteen minutes walking, but Meulin didn’t want to walk the whole way in the rain.

She settled on the bench, checking her phone for the bus schedule. Bus Four would be arriving in just a few minutes. She settled in for the short wait, replacing the phone in her purse.

But suddenly, a movement under her hand, which rested on her bag, alerted her to something. The bag itself moved out from under her, and she stood up quickly.

A stray animal had the strap of her bag in its mouth, and was quickly moving away.

“No!” Meulin gasped, braving the weather to retrieve her bag. “No, no, no, no, give that back!”

The animal pranced into the roadway, dropping her bag and scurrying along. The contents of her bag spilled onto the wet pavement.

Meulin got onto her hands and knees to quickly pick up the items, cramming them back into her bag. She picked up some other items in her arms and stood up, bemoaning her now drenched outfit.

She stood up just in time, because suddenly, everything around her became very bright.

Meulin turned, her eyes widening and pupils turning to pinpricks as she met with the headlights of an oncoming car.

Meulin screamed, diving out of the way. The wheel of the car collided with her ankle, and it twisted painfully. She crashed hard to the ground. The car swerved and continued down the street.

Her heart pounded in her chest and she tried to push herself up, only to have her adrenaline-drained arms collapse. She shifted the weight on her back legs and pushed herself up again, managing to find purchase on the slick ground. She looked around, unsuccessfully pushing her wet mane of hair out of her face.

“Oh, no!” she cried when she caught sight of the mangled piece of plastic that was previously her phone. She crawled over to pick up the pieces, but the movement of her ankle caused her to yelp in pain. She looked at her leg; the point of impact was already starting to swell painfully. Meulin bit her lip and crawled pitifully over to the sidewalk.

“No, no, this can’t be happening!” she moaned. Today was special! She was going to see everyone again! But she could barely move.

Everything got worse when, once again, everything around her got brighter. Meulin looked up just to see Bus Four drive straight past.

She had no phone to call someone. It was pouring down rain. Her clothes were soaked. Her ankle hurt badly. She couldn’t move.

Meulin Leijon did the only thing she could do. She hunched over her knees and cried.

~~~

Meenah had been trying and trying, unsuccessfully, to get a rise out of Damara, and it was starting to piss her off.

Opportunity presented itself with an ill-advised semi-joke from Cronus, when he walked over and said;

“Hey, Damara, you got a light?”

“No,” she said, grinning, “I do not smoke as much anymore. None with me.”

“What?” Meenah had latched onto this. “The chain smoking queen isn’t going to take a drag? Well,” she sneered, “Haven’t you grown up.”

“Yes.” Damara continued smiling, but her jaw was tight. “I have.”

“How’s that going for ya? I mean, you were pretty damn hooked in high school. You tellin’ me you don’t smoke at all? Ever? What about after a hard day at work, huh? When you really just wanna _unwind_ … You really tellin’ me you never, ever smoke?”

Off to the side, Cronus and Kankri both knew Meenah’s aim.

“Should we do something about this? This could get triggering.” Kankri stepped forward, but Cronus grabbed his arm.

“I’d say no, chief. I think…” he watched the escalating argument, “This needs to happen.”

“I do,” Damara cracked slightly, “Sometimes.”

“So you haven’t given up yet? Of course not. You could never leave something like that behind. You’re just the same, Damara. Always gonna be the same.”

The sound of hand meeting face echoed, and the room suddenly got very, very quiet. Meenah placed a hand to her stinging cheek, her smug sneer morphing to complete rage.

“Do you wanna go there?!”

Damara raised her hand again, spewing insults in Japanese.

Rufioh darted forward and caught her arm. “Damara.”

She turned to him, first just her head, and then her whole body. She yanked her arm back, glaring daggers.

“Damara, why are you here if you’re just going to do this again?” Rufioh’s usually cheery demeanor had been seriously dampened by the events of the past few minutes. “You’re better than this.”

“I am better than _them_ ,” she hissed.

Rufioh stepped forward. “That’s it, isn’t it? You’re just so damn caught up in letting everyone know how much better off you are now. You just want to show off how well you’ve done these past years.”

“At least I am doing well! I have not let myself get caught up in the past. Unlike you. Unlike them.”

Rufioh’s gaze darkened. “Why are you here, then?”

“Bury the past.”

Damara turned and walked across the room and straight out the door. Rufioh sighed tiredly, sinking into one of the chairs and resting his head in his hands.

The rest of the room recovered quickly, everyone going back to their business for a few minutes before Rufioh stood suddenly and walked towards the door. When he reached it, he stepped aside as two people walked in. He let Latula and Porrim pass.

“What happened?” Porrim asked him.

“There was a… fight. I drove Damara away. I’m sorry, Porrim, but I’m going to leave, too.”

“Leave?” Porrim said. “Damara didn’t leave. She’s sitting right outside.”

Rufioh’s eyes widened. He walked outside.

~~~

Mituna shot up out of his chair when Latula walked in, but froze. All of the words he meant to say died in his throat, and he bit his tongue. He couldn’t do this. He knew he couldn’t. All of that hard work would never pay off. He was a failure. He-

A strong hand rested on Mituna’s shoulder, and he looked up to see Kurloz watching him. Kurloz smiled, giving his friend an encouraging squeeze, and pushed him gently forward. Mituna stumbled slightly, but caught himself, and quickly walked over to where Latula stood.

“Latula!” he called. She turned.

“Mituna, hey!” She walked over, raising her arms to give him a hug, but he stopped her, looking extremely determined and quite scared.

“Latula, I,” he took a deep breath, “I know we haven’t seen each other in a really long time, but,” he paused, “I just want you to know that I still really care about you and I know,” his voice rose in volume, “That you might not feel the same way but I think about you a lot! And I’ve,” Mituna looked to Kurloz, who was holding a finger to his lips. He paused, taking another deep breath to compose himself, and said;  “I’ve been working really hard so that I can tell you, Latula Pyrope, that… I love you.”

Mituna looked down, his face burning. The entire room was dead silent for a moment.

The silence was broken by the sound of Latula’s quiet sniffles. Mituna looked up, shocked. He hadn’t meant to make her cry.

“Latz..?” he reached out, holding her gently by the arm, “I’m s-sorry. I-”

Latula shot forward, wrapping her arms around Mituna’s neck. She pulled him close and began pressing kisses to his face, his jaw, and his neck, each kiss punctuated by her saying “I love you, I love you too,” over and over until finally, she pulled his face to her and kissed his lips. Mituna grabbed her by the waist and held her, smiling into their passionate liplock.

While those two had their moment, Porrim walked over to the closest person who wasn’t making out. Kankri and Cronus were both sitting on one of the two sofas. She asked;

“Where is Horuss?”

“He, uh, I think he stepped away to the restroom. Or somefin. Why?” Cronus answered.

“I need to ask him something. About Meulin. He… said that she would be here, and that she’d be getting in on Bus Four at eight, but I stopped by the bus station both going to get Latula and coming back, and she’s not there. It’s almost nine, after all.” Porrim added; “She’s not answering her phone, either…”

There was a small clamor as Kurloz stood up from the other sofa, walking over to Porrim and holding out his phone.

**WHERE IS THE STATION?**

“It’s on Twelfth Street, just a few blocks from here…?” Porrim trailed off, as Kurloz was already heading for the door.

“Well, Porrim, I don’t mean ta sound rude, but you sure do know how to throw ‘em.”

~~~

Kurloz literally skidded to a halt outside of the bus station, his sneakers sliding on the wet ground. At some point, he hadn’t realized until going outside, it had started pouring. His jacket, the hood of which was pulled up to cover his head, was damp, though not yet thoroughly soaked.

The desk clerk startled slightly upon seeing Kurloz’s painted face.

“S-sir, there are no more b-busses tonight. You’ll have to come back in the morning.”

Kurloz pulled his phone out of his pocket and typed a quick message, showing it to the clerk.

**where is a map? i need to know where bus four picked up last.**

The clerk pointed to the wall. Kurloz rushed over and traced the path with his hand. He would check the previous few stops. The last one was a little less than a mile away; he could get there faster if he ran.

He signed “thank you” to the clerk, though Kurloz was sure the man didn’t understand, and left.

~~~

Kurloz was breathing hard by the time the stop came into view, a bright light on a dark stage. The rain had let up considerably by this point, so he pulled his hood down.

He ran until he could see that there was, in fact, someone sitting under the cover. He then slowed, walking almost impossibly slow. His heart felt like it was about to jump out of his chest.

Sometimes, Kurloz thought about what it would have been like if he had been able to speak. After listening to Mituna go on and on, Kurloz felt that he knew what he would say, should he ever see Meulin again. But the opportunity was here, and Kurloz lacked the ability to say what was on his mind. His relationship with Meulin had always relied on body language and physical forms of communication.

He walked up right in front of her, but her head was down and her eyes were shut. Like this, she was completely out-of-touch with everything.

Since he wasn’t at much risk of discovery, Kurloz simply knelt in front of her, watching. She looked to be in fairly rough shape; her dark blouse and skirt were soaked, her sweater lying beside her on the bench.

Meulin sniffled, and Kurloz looked up at her face. Occasionally, a tear would leak from one eye to join the rivulets of water that ran down from her hair.

She cried on that night, too.

_Her hands were balled up into fists in the fabric of her skirt and tears ran down her face, shining in the glow of the police car lights. He just stood there, not wanting to move for fear of his façade crumbling. So he let her sob._

Kurloz breathed out heavily at the memory. He reached for her, his fingers brushing her hands as he leaned forward and pressed his forehead to her knees.

Meulin gasped when she felt the contact, her eyes shooting open to find the last thing she’d ever expect to see.

At the sound of her gasp, Kurloz turned his head up to look at her. Everything was still for the longest time.

Suddenly, everything became a circle of fists, signing “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” over and over. Kurloz straightened up, his head almost on level with hers, and signed more and more ardently with each movement.

Meulin stopped signing and grabbed his hands, taking away all distractions as she simply looked at him. In that eye contact, the two communicated everything that needed to be said; Kurloz’s guilt at leaving her behind, Meulin’s grief towards her own unwillingness to confront him, and their mutual regret at letting their relationship go.

Kurloz leaned closer and wrapped his arms around her, letting his face rest in the crook of her neck as she embraced him. They enjoyed the comfort of each other’s arms, just like what happened in high school, until she pulled away.

“I can’t walk; I twisted my ankle.”

Kurloz smiled when he picked her up and she snuggled closer to him.

~~~

“You do look like you need a smoke,” Rufioh said after a long time of silence between the two. He had come outside and just sat next to her under the awning, listening to her air her grievances in a language he didn’t understand. When she had had enough, she just clammed up, and the two had just sat there.

“No. I do not smoke. Of all things, I do give that up.”

“I’m really proud of you, Damz. You saw something in you that you wanted to change, and you changed it. Half of the people in there couldn’t do that, even if they wanted to. We both know I can’t,” he snorted, but the sound wasn’t quite amused.

“But you are happy.”

Rufioh balked. Was he happy? Sure, when he wasn’t juggling complicated ex-romantic interests. He had resigned himself in the past few years; he didn’t pursue people romantically like he used to. He had a steady job and was getting an extended education in night school.

“Yeah? I am, aren’t I?”

“Hm.”

“But…” Rufioh sighed, “What was the cost of that?”

“Nothing.” When Rufioh gave her a questioning look, Damara continued. “I am happy. Horuss is happy. We have moved on. You have. No burden.”

Rufioh smiled. “Thanks.” He leaned back on the bench. “We’ve got pretty sucky love lives, don’t we?”

“Not all.”

“Huh?” Rufioh turned to Damara, but her attention was facing down the street. “What’re you… Whoa!” Kurloz was walking down the street, Meulin in his arms. They were both soaking wet, though the rain had stopped.

“What happened, man? Is she-” Rufioh cut himself off, shaking his head. “Right. Uh, you probably need towels. Towels and… Damara, can you go inside and find Roxy or Jane?”

Damara nodded and hurried inside. Rufioh turned back to the two. “Meu, you good?”

Kurloz nudged Meulin, indicating that Rufioh was talking to her, and Rufioh repeated his question. Meulin smiled.

“I just twisted my ankle purretty bad.”

“I should probably go track down a first aid kit, then. Come on, you guys need to get inside.” Rufioh propped the door open for them. Damara worked quickly; Jane and Roxy were already there with towels. Rufioh tapped Roxy on the shoulder.

“We need a first aid kit, too. Got one of those?”

“Yeah. I’ll be roht-ahem, right-on it.”

Kurloz placed Meulin on top of the towels that had been lain out on the sofa. He moved to walk away, but Meulin caught his jacket sleeve, pulling him back. Kurloz smiled, shrugging out of his wet hoodie and sitting next to Meulin on the towels.

“Meulin!” Horuss hurried over to attend to his friend, but Meulin insisted over and over that she was okay; even so, Horuss kept shooting nasty glances to Kurloz over Meulin’s head. Meulin was having none of that, reaching up to pap Horuss’s forehead. The large man blushed and apologized profusely as Meulin insisted that he leave Kurloz alone.

~~~

Meenah and Aranea had been in a heated discussion prior to this entrance, when Aranea joined Porrim in examining Meulin’s wounded ankle, since the two of them had the most knowledge in the way of first aid. Meenah stood off to the side, pouting. Cronus, who had somehow become an excellent mediator, walked over to her.

“What was that about? She dropped you like a bad habit.”

“Buoy, I dunno. Serk’s been actin’ weird all night. All avoidin’ me an’ shit.”

“I don’t mean to impose,” Kankri said. Meenah quirked an eyebrow; the tightwad hadn’t left Cronus’s side all night. “But it might be that the two of you parted on uncertain terms.”

“That’s right,” Cronus said, “Didn’t you kiss her?”

Meenah flushed. “Did I ask for your help?!” she shrieked, storming off.

“Hmm…” Kankri raised a hand to his chin thoughtfully. “I’m beginning to doubt the viability of your motivations in confronting others.”

“I know you think I’m stirrin’ the pot, chief,” Cronus slung an arm around Kankri’s shoulders, but backed off, remembering Kankri’s “don’t touch me unless I give you permission” rule. “But I do have the best intentions for everyone at heart.”

~~~

“Serk, what’s your deal?” Meenah said, cornering the girl. “You’ve been avoidin’ me and actin’ all weird. Come on, girl.”

“I haven’t been avoiding you, Meenah.” Aranea said, putting the first aid supplies back in the box. She and Porrim had come to the conclusion, with a surprisingly lucid, yet completely drunk, Roxy’s aid, that Meulin wouldn’t need to go to the hospital; her ankle was just badly sprained. Meulin and Kurloz were currently snuggling on the sofa, and Aranea found it hard to believe they’d ever broken up.

“Uh, yuh, you have,” Meenah crossed her arms.

“I’m sorry, Meenah, I haven’t been meaning to. Everything’s just been really hectic, and-”

“Is it because I kissed you?” Meenah blurted, her face growing hot. She gnawed on her lip.

Aranea was dumbstruck. “It’s-I, uh, you-but-I… Meenah…”

“If it is, I’m sorry, okay? I just thought that you’d, I mean, I guess I took it too far.”

Aranea frowned, her eyebrows creasing worriedly. Took what too far? God forbid Meenah’s action, which had haunted and intrigued her all of the time since, was a joke.

“Wh… What do you mean by that?” Aranea said, her voice quavering just the slightest.

“Look, I just thought I’d been gettin’ all the right signals from you, y’know? And I guess I’d thought ‘hey, since we’re both drunk and possibly high off our asses, now’s as good as ever’. But if you don’t feel that way, I mean, I should apologize.”

Aranea had stopped listening halfway through. “’All the right signals’? You thought I had been flirting with you?”

“Well, not after three years of barely a damn word!” Meenah said indignantly.

“You didn’t try to get into contact with me, either, you know. Not until a few nights ago. I thought you’d wanted to forget it.”

“This ain’t all my fault!” Meenah insisted. “If you wanted to put in your piece, you shoulda called me! Or, hey, told me when it happened!”

“I didn’t know what to say!” Aranea adopted a stern look.

“You could’ve said ‘back the fuck up, I don’t swing that way’ or something.”

“But I do!”

Aranea physically clapped her hand over her mouth as soon as she said it. Meenah looked shocked for a moment, then grinned.

“So I was right.”

“I-” Aranea fumbled, “I’d never done anything like that before.  I was confused! And, I admit, I still am! If you felt that way about me, why didn’t you say anything?”

“Maybe because I never guessed Miss Straight-Laced Student Body President was actually a lesbian.” Meenah continued with her smug attitude.

“Well, I am. And…” she took a deep breath, steadying her nerves, “I liked you back then, but I thought-”

“D’you like me now?”

Aranea’s face flushed. “I-”

“D’you want me to kiss you?”

“ _Meenah_!” Aranea nearly screeched, arms crossed and face contorted into a stern look. Meenah could tell that the other girl was still crushing, but she let it go.

“Fine,” she breathed. Aranea straightened up, worrying that Meenah might think she’d been rejected. But Meenah walked behind Aranea and hugged her around the shoulders, so that they were facing the same direction. She smiled.

“I guess I should also apologize for groping you.”

~~~

Porrim tidied up the room in the dim lighting. She’d had the lights turned low after four of her friends had fallen asleep; she’d worked it out with Jane and Roxy so that they would be allowed to stay the night, since the storm had rolled back in full force and it was too late for anyone to hope to drive home safely. Some of the ones who had come from out of town, namely Mituna, Meulin, and Latula, had plans to stay at hotels, but found themselves not wanting to leave. An impromptu sleepover was an idea that was unanimously accepted.

It was interesting to see the way everyone had grouped off, or, paired off. Some were obvious; from the second Kurloz walked into the lounge, carrying Meulin like they were married, Porrim knew that they were together again, and more inseparable than before. They were now both on one of the sofas, Meulin on top of Kurloz, who had his arms wrapped comfortingly around his girlfriend.

The same went for Mituna and Latula, whose relationship was rekindled with the force of their make-out session. They’d settled against the wall and been talking nonstop from the time they broke lip contact to the time that they seemed to simultaneously fall asleep, Latula resting her head on Mituna’s shoulder.

Of course, other groups hadn’t been so obvious. After the exchange of heated words between Rufioh and both Damara and Horuss, Porrim was surprised to see the three of them in close proximity, apparently having been able to talk out their differences. Horuss leaned against the side of the sofa, Rufioh leaned against the wall, and Damara had commandeered a cushion on which she could rest her head.

Aranea and Meenah were another surprise. Porrim figured there was some underlying reason, another secret hidden in the events of that fateful night, but she couldn’t fathom a guess as to where that had sprung up. They had fallen asleep on the floor, facing each other.

“Porrim, you don’t need to do all of this yourself. We can all help in the morning.”

Porrim turned, smiling. “Thank you for your concern, Kanny, but I can take care of this. You should go back to…” Porrim’s eyes traveled the room, her smile growing. Kankri’s cheeks begain to obtain a red tint.

“I don’t agree with what you’re insinuating,” he stammered. But the evidence was there; without Kankri’s support, Cronus had leaned too far and fallen sideways on the sofa in his sleep. Porrim just shook her head, motioning Kankri over to one of the tables and taking a seat. Kankri followed suit, and as the two began to talk quietly, Porrim couldn’t help but think that this had been a fairly successful reunion.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Were those CroKri bits subtle enough for you? (Probably not)
> 
> I will probably write the prequel to this after the introductions for Lanternstuck. It'll tell you exactly what happened "that fateful night".


End file.
